On Tuesday, the Buffalo Common Council unanimously passed a bill that will ban anyone under 21 from the area surrounding the Chippewa Entertainment District. The bill, if approved by Mayor Byron Brown, will keep underage patrons out of bars past 10 p.m. six nights a week.
The bill intends to stop "commingling," or the practice of mixing underage patrons and those of legal drinking age in the same establishment, and many business owners throughout the affected downtown area support the measure.
If passed as written, the bill would allow underage patrons inside establishments one night a week - Thursday - but Brown believes mixing underage and legal patrons should not happen any night of the week, he told WIVB-TV. He also said he doesn't believe the plan goes far enough, and he has concerns about safety.
"I think if it is allowed on one night, it encourages it to happen on other nights, even though it will no longer be legal on other nights," Brown told WIVB-TV on Wednesday.
Business owners in the area also argued that bars that cater to the younger patrons are having a destructive effect on the area's nightlife as a whole, according to The Buffalo News. Many of them expect Brown to veto the bill.
The proposed area spans from Main Street to Elmwood Avenue and from Seneca Street to Tupper Street. The area will be referred to as the "Downtown Entertainment District," and businesses that are not clubs or bars - hotels, restaurants, and places like Shea's Performing Arts Center - will be exempt from the ban. The ban does not include the areas outside the establishments.
The city currently has a curfew - those under the age of 17 are required to be off the streets by 11 p.m. on weeknights and midnight on weekends. Buffalo Police Commissioner Daniel Derenda told The Buffalo News that if police focus on enforcing the curfew, officers wouldn't be able to handle "other issues."
The proposed bill also allows affected establishments to petition for waivers to run designated events that could include underage patrons. Establishments would be required to submit information about the event, including information about promoters and what security will be in place.
But it remains unclear how the city will enforce the ban, if it were to become law.
Buffalo Police Spokesman Michael DeGeorge didn't respond to The Spectrum's request for comment before press time.
"The mayor will review it with the Law Department," DeGeorge told The Buffalo News.
Plans for the bill have been discussed since the mass shooting that occurred outside of the City Grill in August of 2010. The incident claimed four lives, and four more were wounded.
Most students, both underage and of legal drinking age, believe the ban isn't the right way to solve the violence problems downtown. Many believe that it will only negatively affect businesses because their clientele would be limited.
"I don't think that this is really the solution to the problem because with the City Grill shootings, everyone that was in there was [about] 25 to 35 [years old], and most of the violence that occurs maybe occurs because people are drinking," said Ashley Harris, a 20-year-old junior communication major. "And people are going to drink over 21 and under 21 - it doesn't really matter. It's just going to make more kids go out and get fake IDs."
She added that instead of banning underage patrons from the area, stricter or extra security could be a viable solution.
Amy Counter, a 21-year-old senior communication and philosophy major, isn't affected by the ban, but she also disagrees with how the city is handling the problems.
"It doesn't really apply to me directly, but I think it indirectly affects people who are college-age because they have friends that aren't 21," Counter said. "Obviously they want to go out, and just because you're at a bar doesn't necessarily mean you're drinking."
Brown has 10 days from the time the bill is filed with the City Clerk's Office to make his decision, or the bill will become law. The Erie County Department of Environment and Planning must also review and approve the bill.
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Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
